Genetics of diabetic nephropathy in diverse ethnic groups

Genetic susceptibility is considered an important factor for the development and progression to diabetic nephropathy (DN), and for more than 20 years researchers have tried tounravel the genetic determinants of the disease. It is now clear that the pathogenesis of DN is most likely multifactorial and attributed to several genetic and environmental risk factors. Several candidate genes have been shown to be associated with the disease, but the results have not been consistent and most of the genes conferring risk to DN remain to be identified. In addition, studies have suggested that there might be differences in susceptibility loci and/or alleles between diverse populations. Recent developments in genotyping technology and increased information on the human genome have facilitated genome-wide association scans (GWAS) for investigating novel disease susceptibility across the entire human genome. The few GWAS performed for DN so far in combination with improved understanding of the human genome have identified novel risk loci and emphasized the importance of performing detailed genetic studies across diverse ethnic populations to fully unravel the genetic susceptibility to DN.